Weak Flash; Good deal of noise present at all ISO settings in still photos and movies; Short Battery Life; LED lamps are not very bright

Bottom Line

Pentax continues to create competitive models for the "lifeproof"
point-n-shoot category. The Optio W90 performed well during our tests,
and is sure to please the active user who needs a camera that is as
tough as they are. Read more in our Full Conclusion.

Pentax has hit the outdoors with the rugged new Optio W90, an all-weather, rough and tough camera meant to be taken on any adventure, no matter where it leads. This unit boasts 12-megapixels combined with a versatile 5x zoom lens, which is housed completely inside the camera's body. Shots are framed on the 2.7-in TFT color LCD with an anti-reflective coating and 230,000 dots of resolution. A unique innovation on this new "lifeproof" camera are three LCD lights around the lens for up close macro picture taking; and by up close Pentax means as close as 1cm from the front of the lens! The W90 comes in Black, "Pistachio" Green, and Orange (available sometime in July 2010) and sells for around $260 - $330 U.S. (see our list of retailers for the best deal).

Features of the Pentax Optio W90:

5X optical zoom (28-140mm equivalent)

12.1 megapixel sensor

2.7 inch LCD, with 16:9 wide-screen aspect ratio

New Digital Microscope mode

Waterproof to depths of up to 20 feet

Shockproof from drops as high as 4 feet from the ground

Coldproof/Freezeproof down to 14ºF/-10ºC

Dustproof

HDMI port for playing back HD videos and still images on you HDTV

720p HD video at 15 or 30 frames per second (lower resolution options also available)

Visitors of Steves can visit the stores below for real-time pricing and availability. You can also find hot, soon to expire online offers on a variety of cameras and accessories at our very own Camera Deals page.